BEARCATS NEED LITTLE TIME TO DEMOLISH MAGNET COVE

Traditionally, run dominant offenses like to keep time on their side. Specifically they like to win the time of possession battle.

Friday night at Bearcat Stadium the Bearcats (10-1) had time on their side though not so much in terms of time of possession.

Including three one play drives and one of two plays that covered 99 yards, the Bearcats needed a combined 7:06 to score the first six times they had the football and were leading 41-0 on the way to a 48-7 win over the Magnet Cove Panthers in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.

After forcing Magnet Cove (6-5) to punt to open the game the Bearcats scored in one play, a 69-yard Hunter Warren run. Time for the possession was 13 seconds.

After forcing a second Panther punt, the Bearcats scored in one play, a 59-yard Conner Lentz run. Time for the possession was 13 seconds.

Magnet Cove’s third punt pushed the Bearcats back to their 16. The offensive unit had to do 10 plays of work over 4:15 to make it 21-0 on a 3-yard run by Warren with 2:35 left in the first quarter.

The next Panther punt made it only to the Magnet Cove 46-yard line and the Bearcats again scored in one play, a 46-yard Jace Washburn to Dakota Mattson strike and it was 28-0. Time for the possession was 8 seconds.

On its next possession Magnet Cove had a 25-yard chunk play for its first first down of the game but ultimately was forced to punt yet again. The punt was downed at the Bearcat 1.

Warren got 4 yards of breathing room and Rhett Nietert incited heavy breathing from Panther defenders chasing, but not catching him for 95 yards and it was 35-0. Time for the possession was 40 seconds.

The sixth Bearcat possession started 82 yards from the east end zone of Bearcat Stadium. Including a 69-yard run by Hayden Daniel it took five plays to cover the distance and Lentz got his second touchdown on a carry of 5 yards and it was 41-0. Time for the possession was 1:37.

Nietert (shown) took over under center after the Panthers missed a 45-yard field goal try with 2:33 left in the first half.

The backup quarterback turned a bobbled snap into another touchdown run but lost the points to a block in the back penalty and the Bearcats settled for running out the remaining time.

Even with the clock continuously running due to the sportsmanship rule, it was only 2:57 into the second half when a Brody Chambers 32-yard run capped an 85-yard drive and it was 48-0.

The Chambers touchdown run was the ninth play of at least 30 yards by the Bearcats – Chase Shelton also had one of 30 yards on that drive as well – of the game.

The seven in the first half were all 46 yards or better as the Bearcats moved the football almost at will to the tune of 498 yards of offense, on the way to a 618 total yards.

The total is the fourth highest yardage total for a Bearcat offense and is the most in a playoff game.

Individually, the leader was Nietert with 148 yards on his four carries and Lentz added 109 yards on his four runs. Warren gained 90 yards on his team leading six carries and Daniel had 76 on his two.

In all, 13 different players contributed to the 572 rushing yards.

Magnet Cove got on the scoreboard on a 68-yard scoring run, one of their two plays that went for over 30 yards, to set the eventual final at 48-7.

The win marked the 33rd time a Bearcat team has won an opening round game and, including years in which they had a bye, the 37th time the Bearcats have still been alive for a second round playoff game.

The second round game of 2024 will be against Mayflower. The Eagles beat Lavaca 48-6 Friday.

Mayflower (9-2) started the year with eight straight wins before consecutive losses dropped them into a three-way tie for second in Conference 3A-2. The Eagles landed the two seed due to the tiebreaker.